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The Super
The Super is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and starred Joe Pesci. This was the first film that Pesci received top-billing in. Plot Joe Pesci stars as Louie Kritski, a heartless slumlord who was born into money, thanks to his ruthless father, "Big Lou" (Vincent Gardenia), also a slumlord. However, the tables turn on Louie when he's threatened with prison for his failure to keep his New York slum up to code. The judge gives him another option, which he accepts: Louie must live in a vacant apartment of one of his own shoddy run-down apartment blocks until he brings it up to livable standards. The sentence an effective house arrest; Louie is not allowed to leave the apartment except for the following reasons: daily exercise, food shopping, or conferring with workmen in order to repair the deficient problems. In addition, Louie is not authorized to make any changes to the apartment he has been assigned unless all other apartments had the same upgrade beforehand. At first, Louie is adamant that not one repair will be carried out and will wait until his father bails him out. However, he has a change of heart after meeting and getting to know the building's residents, including a small-time hustler named Marlon (Ruben Blades) and a struggling street boy named Tito. Over time, Louie grows more sympathetic with their problems and makes amends for his greediness through actions such as donating space heaters to the tenants to help them cope with the winter. Unfortunately, Big Lou Kritski is the owner of the property in title, and he resists his son's entreaties to spend money to improve the tenements. When Louie confronts Big Lou who is about to set fire to his own tenement, all the residents appear on the roof to back up Louie. The film ends with Louie's building completely refurbished, Marlon becoming the new super and all the tenants gathered outside to see Louie off. Cast *Joe Pesci as Louie Kritski *Vincent Gardenia as Big Lou Kritski *Ruben Blades as Marlon *Madolyn Smith as Naomi Bensinger *Stacey Travis as Heather *Carole Shelley as Irene Kritski *Kenny Blank as Tito *Steven Rodriguez as Pedro *Beatrice Winde as Leotha *Eileen Galindo as Linda Diaz Reception Box Office "The Super" debuted at #5 at the box office, grossing $3,656,390 during its opening weekend. Domestically, it grossed $11,000,863 on a $22 million production budget. Critical Reception "The Super" received poor reviews in its theatrical release and it currently holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 9 reviews. Roger Ebert gave the movie a two-star rating, but called Joe Pesci's performance "entertaining," saying he was "squat, energetic, utterly confident, unselfconscious and essentially warm-hearted." Hal Hinson from the Washington Post said "The Super" was a "wretched piece of work, but it pulls a nifty stunt; it manages to be morally reprehensible and moralistic at the same time." Accolades Young Artist Awards *Kenny Blank: Best Young Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture (nominated) Theatrical Trailer Category:1991 films Category:1990s films Category:1990s comedy films Category:American comedy films Category:20th Century Fox films Category:Rated R